


Sweeter than Cookies

by PawsitiveStars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gift Exchange, Identity reveal..?, ML Secret Santa, The title speaks for the fic, all aboard the fluff train, be prepared for a lot of puns as well, not sorry, the cookies seemed Too Sweet, there is so much bonding and overall everyone having a good time, there is so much happiness put into here, there's also like...a dash of angst, we shall find out :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-02-22 07:32:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13162230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PawsitiveStars/pseuds/PawsitiveStars
Summary: When Marinette does a partnered project for school, she gets a pleasant surprise with who she gets to work with. Lots of playfulness and fluff ensues, bringing the two closer together than what they had expected while learning new things. But there were some things they hadn't prepared for...This is my secret santa gift for tumblr user keithmebabyonemoretime! Have a Miraculous Christmas and a Happy New Year!!





	1. Chapter 1

_It’s too quiet_ , Ladybug mused as she stayed in her crouched position atop the snow covered roof.

She observed the sun making its slow ascent into the partly cloudy sky, as Paris began to wake up and move about to a new day. The hero shivered from the biting cold wind, which seemed to pass right through her suit, and also in anticipation of an attack. Sneaking a glance around the chimney she was hiding behind, nothing seemed out of the ordinary in front of her so she began to creep forward.

Suddenly, she heard a soft crunch of snow underfoot right next to her and reacted quickly by ducking and rolling out of the way. A white object flew past her head, missing it by mere inches. With no time to lose, she scooped up some snow and lunged at her attacker, causing them to yelp as she tackled and pinned them to the roof.

With a satisfied grin and a handful of cold, mushy, wet snow dripping from her hand, she waved it threateningly over the culprit’s face as they gulped in fear.

“Admit defeat, _chaton_ ,” Ladybug spoke with triumph in her tone.

Chat Noir struggled to get his arms free underneath her, but to no avail. “Never, my Lady!” he playfully shouted.

Ladybug bit back a smile then trained her face into one of seriousness. “ _Snow_ be it,” she replied impassively, letting the pile plop onto his face.

There was a sharp gasp then a painful wail of  “cooooooold…” leaving her partner's lips as Ladybug rolled off of him and filled the air with the sound of her laughter.

Shaking the snow from his face while sporting a roguish smirk, Chat Noir swiftly grabbed a handful and pounced on Ladybug, shoving it into the back of her neck. There was an ear piercing shriek as a result, and she cringed from the frozen sensation. Whipping around and ready to attack again with more snow this time, Ladybug was about to let him have it when Chat held up his hands in surrender.

“As much as I’d love to continue this game of snow tag, I must bid adieu and head off to class Buginette,” he sighed in defeat.

“It’s alright kitty, we can always continue this later,” Ladybug answered as she straightened out and brushed herself off.

“I’ll come _dashing through the snow_ next time,” he chuckled.

Ladybug groaned as she slapped a hand to her freezing face. “You didn’t even have to think of that one did you?”

Chat only snickered as he prepared to launch himself into the air when Ladybug stopped him.

“Wait, Chat!”

He looked at her questioningly.

“What do you want for Christmas?” she asked, and then watched in curiosity as he broke out a huge smile.

“You,” he said fondly then added a saucy wink as he lifted up and away.

“That’s not what I- oh my god Chat you flirt,” Ladybug sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes as she made her way to her school.

 

As she entered the classroom on time for once, she was greeted with the sounds of excited chatter among her peers. Sliding into her seat, she didn’t even have time to open her school bag when her best friend was already on her with her phone out, shoving it underneath her nose.

“ _Girl_ , did you see the akuma this morning?!” Alya chuckled as she pressed play on the video she just barely managed to catch. “I swear these villains are getting more ridiculous every time!”

On the screen, a man dressed in all green with vines and leaves extending out in weird angles, spread it around the streets and began covering everything in it. He shook in anger, tossing the white berries at the superheroes that appeared, which exploded with poisonous gases. The camera shook as Alya moved closer, catching the latest villain’s remark.

“Since no one will kiss me due to my ugly toe, you shall all perish!” The akuma shouted as he pulled out of his vines a small gun shaped vaguely like a foot. Little toes shot out at the heroes and exploded into red ribbons. “I am Missile Toes and I will be the one to take your miraculouses!!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other then both burst out in laughter as they held their stomachs. Wiping away a tear, Chat looked over to Ladybug and held onto her shoulder for support. “Looks like this guy got off on the wrong foot,” he guffawed as his partner lost it.

Marinette shook her head in amusement and turned away from the video, letting a giant yawn escape as the teacher entered the classroom.

“Okay class, since today is the last day before break, and you have all been working very hard, I have only one assignment for you all to complete then you may take your leave,” Miss Bustier announced while she went around the room setting down colorful strips of paper on their desks.

“You will be working in pairs, spending time with your partner at their home for the first half of the day, and then the other half will be at your home.” The class waited in bated breath when suddenly Miss Bustier sported a sly grin. “But of course, you must teach them something new and write an essay on what you learned from them and turn it in when you return from your vacation,” she stated, which resulted in a collective groan. “Now go find the person with the same color and get to work! Have a great break, Joyeux Noël!”

The shuffling of students getting out of their seats and the sounds of happy squeals and disappointed grumbles filled the room quickly. Marinette glanced at her red strip of paper and began looking around for the same color.

“Hey Marinette, we match!” a cheery voice exclaimed.

Turning towards the familiar voice, she made direct eye contact with Adrien and immediately felt the beginnings of a blush start to form. “Oh how lucky of me! I MEAN-how lucky we are..to be..together..? GAH um this is wonderful!” Marinette rambled.

Adrien gave her a small smile as he adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder. “Whose house should we start at?”

“Do me first!” she shouted excitedly, then her face instantly grew as red as the paper. “UHHH my house, let’s go to my house first,” she nervously laughed as she put on her backpack and they walked towards the door.

“That sounds great!” Adrien replied happily then texted the Gorilla to tell him his plans and that he won’t be needed for today.

Marinette looked behind her to Alya who was standing at her desk next to Nino giving two thumbs up. Nino then gave her finger guns and chuckled as she squeaked and rushed after Adrien.

When they got outside, the sky had grown cloudier with tiny snowflakes beginning to fall around them. Marinette watched as Adrien stuck out his tongue and captured a few flakes on it and then sent a playful grin her way. It sent her heart into overdrive with his cuteness but she managed to get out a giggle as they made their way to her parents bakery.

As they entered, instantly the smells of cookies and sweets assaulted their noses and the warmth of the bakery surrounded them like being wrapped in a blanket. At the register, Sabine noticed them and a huge smile overtook her face.

“Marinette! You’re home early!” Sabine noted as Marinette and Adrien made their way over to her.

Giving her mother a giant hug and a kiss on the cheek, Marinette answered, “Hi Maman! I’m supposed to teach Adrien something for our assignment for school.”

“Hello, Madame Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien greeted politely.

“Oh Adrien dear, call me Sabine,” Sabine said sweetly as she patted Adrien on the cheek, causing him to blush slightly.

“Where’s Papa?” Marinette questioned as she looked past her mom to the stairs.

Sabine turned towards Marinette and rolled her eyes affectionately. “Oh, he’s trying out a new cookie recipe. Why don’t you go join him? This could help with your assignment.”

“Good idea Maman! Come on Adrien!” Marinette said with enthusiasm as she ran for the stairs, with him following closely behind.

They entered the house just as Tom was trying to open a bag of flour.

“Papa!” Marinette announced loudly enough to startle him, resulting in him ripping open the bag and causing flour to poof up into his face. He blinked large green eyes at them with his mustache and eyebrows dusted in white. A wide smile appeared and he opened up his arms. “Marinette!” Then he noticed Adrien standing next to her. “Adrien my boy! It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you as well, Monsieur Dupain-Cheng.”

Skipping over to him, Marinette kissed her father on the cheek and snorted. “Papa, you look like Santa Claus!”

Tom rubbed his belly over-exaggeratedly and huffed with a cheery air. “Well that’s because I am Santa Claus.” He walked over to Adrien and set a large hand on his shoulder, leaning towards him and whispering loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, “Don’t tell her this is only my secret identity. My real name is Tom or Papa if you prefer.”

Both teens temporarily tensed and flushed at the particular statement but quickly recovered, glancing around the room anxiously as Tom watched amused.

To shake off the embarrassment and nerves, Marinette clapped her hands together. “Soooo, did you need help making cookies? I need to teach Adrien something for school.”

“Ahh yes I was just about to start! Marinette, could you please grab the utensils and dishes we’ll need?”

Marinette stood ramrod straight and gave a salute, “Right away sir!” She ripped off her coat, tossed it on the counter, and rushed around the kitchen.

Tom walked over to a closet and pulled out three aprons then held one out for Adrien to take. “Here you go son,” he said gently handing it off to him. Tying one around himself, he then made his way over to help out Marinette who had one too many dishes in her hands.

Adrien felt warmth spread through his chest with the kindness of Marinette’s family and the happy atmosphere surrounding him. He was starting to feel relaxed enough to sense his more mischievous side beginning to make an appearance as well. After taking off his coat and tying the apron securely around his waist, he watched as Tom set out the main ingredients on the counter then glanced back at him with a cunning glint in his eye.

“You ready for some fun?” Tom asked as he grabbed a handful of flour out of the bag.

Adrien watched on in curiosity as Marinette joined them once again.

“We’re all set! Was there anything else-,” just then she was cut off as Tom flung flour at her face causing her to sputter and blink her eyes repeatedly in astonishment.

“Oops, my hand slipped,” Tom chuckled and ducked out of the way when she tried to grab him.

Scooping up a handful, Marinette went to aim for her father when he moved her arm and instead she released it into Adrien’s face. The kitchen went silent as he blinked and widened his eyes, and then narrowed them while sporting a playful smirk.

“Oh it is ON.”

 

When Sabine entered her home an hour later to check up on them, she did not expect to find a war zone takeover instead of a kitchen.

“What on earth?!” she exclaimed with hands on her hips as she looked on at the three covered head to toe in flour and cookie batter. The kitchen was a lost cause with white coating covering everything and clumps of batter scattered here and there.

Gulping and getting ready to be scolded, Adrien bowed his head in shame while Marinette and Tom glanced at each other in fear.

“I leave you three alone and this is what you’ve been up to?” Sabine tapped her foot in anger. “And you didn’t even invite me?” her stern expression broke out into a smile as she swiped some batter off of Tom’s apron and fondly smooshed it into his cheek. “As long as you all clean up your mess everything will be okay but if not,” she added in a strict tone and wagged her finger at them, “there will be consequences.”

“Yes ma’am!” The three shouted in unison then broke out in relieved sighs when she left to go back downstairs.

Yet, Adrien still felt severely guilty as he turned to Marinette and Tom. “I’m so sorry I upset Sabine and made such a mess of your kitchen...”

Tom snorted lightly as Marinette set a calming hand on Adrien’s arm while giving him a sincere smile.

“Son, I was the one who started this battle, there is no need to apologize,” Tom reassured him as he began to pull out cleaning supplies from underneath the sink.

Adrien peered down at Marinette as she booped him on the nose. “You’re so sweet,” she giggled at his baffled expression then began to help clean up.

Taking a moment for himself, Adrien couldn’t figure out why her touch sent mini electric shockwaves from his nose down to his toes. Shaking his head to clear whatever that was he joined the other two in cleaning.

As soon as Marinette flicked some soapy water at Tom, he looked back at Adrien once more with a gleam in his eye.

“Who’s up for round two: cleaning edition?”

 

By the time the kitchen was back to normal, it was already a little past lunchtime as Marinette and Adrien’s stomach’s both growled rather loudly at the same time.

“You know what’s funny,” Tom pondered as he gave a contemplative look to the cookie sheet with a sad lump of cookie batter on it. “More of the cookie batter made it out onto the floor and on us rather than into the oven.”

“Well,” Adrien spoke up, “that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

Tom grinned at him proudly. “You’re one smart cookie my boy.”

Marinette groaned as she had to endure puns from not only her partner and her father but now Adrien too!

“OKAY!” Marinette declared as she grabbed Adrien’s arm and began leading him to the front door, too focused in escaping. “We will be going to get some lunch somewhere else, see you later Papa!”

“Aww but Marinette!” Adrien protested then shot a grin in Tom’s direction. “We were on a _roll._ At _yeast_ let us finish punning our _buns_ off!”

“Adrien I swear to god..,” Marinette threatened as Tom let out a full blown belly laugh.

It wasn’t until they nearly walked out of the apartment onto the street when both teens realized they still had aprons on and were partially covered in leftover cookie material and flour. Marinette looked to Adrien and heaved a deep sigh. “We should probably clean up first, which means we may as well get lunch here, but no more puns!” she pointed an intimidating finger in his direction.

Ignoring the slight thrill of seeing his friend direct her spit fire attitude in his direction, he leaned into her space and sent a smug smile her way. “Or what will happen? I’ll be _toast_?” he chuckled as she gave him a deadpan stare then marched quickly back up the stairs.

“I’m sorry you probably weren’t _bready_!” Adrien smiled wide as he slowly made his way after her.

When he rounded the corner into her living room, a pink towel was thrust into his view with an extra set of clothes by a red-faced Marinette. “You can use my shower if you’d like. Just leave your c-clothes outside the door and I can get them w-washed right away.”

Gladly taking the towel and spare clothes, Adrien gave her a grateful look. “Thanks Marinette.”

“I’ll go make us some lunch!” she squeaked in reply as she hurried towards the kitchen where Tom was already preparing food.

After Adrien was done using the shower, he ventured into the kitchen and thanked Tom as he was handed a plate with ham and cheese sandwiches. Marinette swiftly left the table to take her own shower so Tom and Adrien ate in comfortable silence as they watched the snow fall harder outside the windows. When Marinette was finished, she retrieved Adrien’s now freshly washed clothes and gave them to him then waited for him to get done changing so they could head out.

Just as they were putting on their coats and about to leave, Tom stopped them at the door. Taking a look back towards the windows, he voiced with concern, “Now Marinette, make sure you don’t stay out too late. It seems like the snow is coming down heavier by the hour.”

“Okay Papa,” she said then gave him a parting kiss on the cheek.

Turning to Adrien, Tom put a hand on his shoulder. “Now _dough_ -n’t be a stranger son. Come by anytime!”

Grinning, Adrien replied, “I’ll be back! Your family is so _loafly_.”

“May our paths _croissant_ again,” Tom answered with glee then shooed his exasperated daughter and the delighted boy out the door.

The two walked on in companionable peace towards Adrien’s house as big snowflakes slowly fell around them. After a few minutes had passed, Marinette broke the silence.

“Sorry I really didn’t get around to teaching you how to make cookies,” she went on, sheepishly glancing down at the sidewalk.

“That’s okay Marinette,” Adrien reassured her. “You taught me how to have fun while attempting to make them. Then the cleaning war! I never thought I could enjoy a simple chore like that.”

Marinette snorted and shot him an unamused expression. “Yeah, you were the one who gave yourself a bubble beard and said, and I quote, ‘Isn’t this _soap_ -purb?’ while you pretended to stroke it in deep thought.”

“I’d say I was feeling _bubbly_ -,”

“NO.” Marinette firmly cut him off but failed to hide her amusement with a grin then gave him a daring, playful nudge with her shoulder.

“Rude!” Adrien exclaimed as he sent her a returning nudge back.

It caught Marinette off guard and resulted in her slipping on an icy part of the sidewalk. Bracing herself for impact, she squeezed her eyes shut but nothing happened. Instead, she felt strong arms wrapping around her waist and holding her there. Peeking open an eye, she saw a concerned Adrien looking down at her only inches away from her face.

“Marinette I am so sorry!” he quickly apologized as she could feel her face beginning to heat up.

Adrien hadn’t realized yet the precarious position they were in with the way he was dipping her while big snowflakes fell around them. However, Marinette did if her pink cheeks were anything to go by. It seemed like quite the romantic scene.

Summoning up a bit of her Ladybug courage, she faced her next statement head on. Licking her lips, she said with confidence, “Looks like I fell for you.” It was told in a joking manner but at the same time she still hoped he got the secret message.

Chuckling awkwardly, Adrien righted them and gave her a pat on the shoulder with pink cheeks of his own. “Oh! Good pun Marinette!” he replied then stepped away to put some distance between them again.

Marinette felt the small sting of rejection burning in her chest but only sighed as she joined Adrien once more on the way to his house. When they arrived, neither of them expected to find the setup of a spontaneous photo shoot waiting for them.

Or the very real reindeer causing mayhem as it was being chased by Adrien’s photographer with an expensive camera in its mouth.

“Oh deer…”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Can this gift fic get any longer??  
> Also me: Yes it can

Marinette turned to Adrien to give him an unimpressed stare. “You can’t _rein_ in your puns for five minutes,” she said in a deadpan voice.

Gasping dramatically while clutching his chest, Adrien looked to her in fake shock with amusement glittering in his eyes. “Marinette…puns are a way of _life_. Also, that was excellent pun usage right there! I’m so proud,” he wiped away a nonexistent tear from his eye.

“Wha- oh crap you’re right. Your puns are rubbing off on me!” Marinette huffed as she made a show of wiping herself off of all the wordplays from her person. She couldn’t believe all the puns she was hearing from her crush. If she didn’t know any better, she was talking to Chat Noir instead. No wonder why she was feeling so comfortable around him, it was as if she was talking to her partner! In a more concerned tone she added, “While standing here is nice, we should probably be helping your poor photographer.”

They both watched as Adrien’s photographer was currently playing tug of war with his camera and the reindeer.

“Nah,” Adrien drawled confidently. “I’m sure Vincent will be alright.”

“There will be no spaghetti for you!” Vincent shouted at the creature. A second later, the reindeer decided to tug hard on the camera strap, causing him to lurch forward and face plant into a pile of snow. It then dropped the camera and trotted off to the animal trainer who was standing a short distance away, snickering and holding out a carrot.

“See?” Adrien gestured to the comical scene. “It’s all good.”

Marinette snorted while the pair of them both listened to Vincent currently letting out a string of colorful curse words in Italian as he forcefully shoved himself off the ground and swiped up his camera. Turning towards Marinette and Adrien, the photographer visibly brightened as soon as he caught sight of the two of them. 

“Adrien! _Perfecto_! Come now, we must get this shoot started right away,” he hastily ushered them to come forward as he wiped off his camera of any remaining snow.

“But,” Adrien began as he approached with Marinette, “what about my friend?”

“Hmm?” Vincent looked up from his camera. “Oh, she isn’t the model your father hired?”

Marinette choked while Adrien blinked. Then slowly a grin grew as Adrien got an idea and he peered down at Marinette’s wide eyes. Maintaining eye contact the entire time, he said smugly, “Yes, yes she is the exact model my father hired.”

A rush of air left Marinette’s lungs as she stared at him with a look of _are you crazy?!_ while her mouth bobbed up and down like a fish out of water.

“ _Si_ , this is good!” agreed Vincent as he readied the camera. “Both of your looks complement each other very well, this-a will go great with the romantic atmosphere we need.”

Adrien swore he got sucker punched to the gut as Marinette squeaked beside him and instantly turned fire-hydrant red. “Wait…what?” he asked weakly.

“Your father asked for a romantic photo-shoot, now _señor_ Adrien, start acting like you two are deep in love!” Vincent went on impatiently, holding the camera up to his eye.

Swallowing hard, Adrien let out a polite, “Just a moment please,” as he put himself between Marinette and the photographer. Setting his hands on her shoulders, he started to ramble, “I am sooo sorry I had no idea this was going to happen, otherwise I would have never put you in this position and now I feel absolutely terrible and you really don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to-,”

“Adrien,” Marinette cut him off in a soft yet stern voice. He took in a deep breath and focused his attention on her still very red face. “It’s o-okay, this could be you teaching me what it’s like to be a model.” She attempted to smile but it came out crooked and he thought he could feel her trembling a little.

“Are...are you _sure_?” he questioned, still not fully convinced.

She set her jaw and sent him a determined look. “Absolutely.”

Adrien let out a sigh, and removed his hands from her shoulders. “Okay. But as soon as you feel too uncomfortable let me know and we’ll stop.”

Turning back around to face Vincent, he nodded his head. “Alright. We’re ready.”

 

 _This was such a bad idea,_ Marinette thought as she listened to Vincent scold them yet again on appearing too stiff and to loosen up already and relax.

They were currently walking hand in hand on the sidewalk outside Adrien’s house as the snow was falling heavily around them. Marinette couldn’t stop blushing and Adrien had a bad habit of rubbing the back of his neck nervously every time he glanced in her direction.

“No, no, no, I must feel _passion_ not awkwardness!” Vincent declared with frustration.

Letting go of Adrien’s hand, Marinette observed the snowy sidewalk at their feet. “We haven’t even been out here for twenty minutes and I can’t seem to do this right,” she whispered glumly. “I’m not cut out for this job.”

Feeling a hand gently grasp her chin and tilting it upwards, she suddenly found herself lost in the green of Adrien’s eyes. “Hey, don’t put yourself down. You’ll get the hang of this, I promise,” he told her tenderly.

The two of them were so absorbed in the moment they didn’t hear the shutter sounds of the camera clicking away.

Breaking out in a bright smile, Marinette breathed, “Thank you Adrien.”

Adrien felt his heartbeat double in speed as his vision filled with the blue of her eyes; which reminded him of another pair of eyes just as blue and beautiful while running along the rooftops. He was unaware of what he was doing, sliding his thumb down her jaw and cupping the back of her head while his other hand sat on her waist, and slowly leaned in as his eyes drooped close.

Marinette was internally freaking out when she realized he was going to kiss her but it was as if her body was reacting on its own, standing on her tip-toes and unconsciously leaning towards him to meet halfway. Her hands gripped the lapels of his coat while she closed her eyes then everything else fell away as her lips met his.

Only vaguely aware of his surroundings, as soon as his lips touched hers, Adrien noted how soft they were while warmth spread throughout his chest. Breathing in though his nose, he caught the familiar scent of lavender and cookies then pulled away to observe his lady.

When he finally looked at her, he blinked and his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. It was almost as if a haze cleared the fantasy from his vision since he was now clearly looking at Marinette, not Ladybug. Wasn’t he just kissing his partner?

Marinette gazed at him with the same confused expression since that kiss felt nearly identical to the one she gave Chat Noir, minus the chaos and adrenaline. Well, she’s only ever kissed two boys in her life so maybe that’s what they all felt like. They can’t be the same person…right?

“ _Magnifico!_ ” Vincent shouted with pride, effectively making the two of them jump in the air then spring apart from each other, both blushing madly. “These pictures are-a absolutely miraculous! We didn’t even need the reindeer!” he eagerly scrolled through all the pictures that were taken.

“Um…s-sorry,” Adrien said breathlessly as he rubbed the back of his neck looking away.

“N-no need to be sorry, you were amazing!” Marinette gushed then yelped when his eyes shot to hers.” I m-mean that was amazing! UH, shoot, what I meant was good job!” she held out her fist as a reflex and he quickly returned the fist bump gesture without thought.

Both of them inhaled sharply then refused to look at the other as they were hit with the similarity of the action, their blushes even more prominent than before. Yet, they still weren’t willing to believe anything was out of the ordinary. It was all just a silly coincidence.

 “Okay, that’s a wrap! Your father only needed a few good photos for his new perfume ad, so there is no more need to continue. _Addio_!” Vincent waved and walked away, making the air become even tenser between Marinette and Adrien.

“S-soooo…,”Adrien got out in a small voice, “want to go inside? We can get started on our essays or something.”

Nodding her head a little too enthusiastically, Marinette was already making her way towards his house. “Sounds like a pood glan! Um, GOOD PLAN.”

When they stepped inside the house, Adrien swiftly led Marinette up to his room, trying really hard to not think about her burning presence right behind him. As they entered his room, Marinette gasped in fake wonder, pretending to take in the sight of his room for the first time since she ‘technically’ hasn’t seen it yet. Removing their coats and setting them beside each other on Adrien’s bed, they both made their way over to his couch and sat with some distance between them.

Adrien was the first one to speak, “Would you like anything to drink?”

Marinette shook her head no and pulled her feet up on the cushions to prop her chin on her knees.

Feeling extremely nervous and somewhat scared, Adrien hesitantly asked, “We’re still friend’s right..?”

Whipping her head around to look at him, Adrien was startled from the fast movement. “Of course we are!” she assured him loudly.

“That’s good,” Adrien sighed in little relief. “I just thought, since I made it awkward by kissing you, I ruined our friendship,” he explained, wringing his hands together and glancing down at the couch cushions. Soon, he found his hands covered by Marinette’s and he looked into her beautiful blue eyes once more.

“Adrien, one kiss won’t destroy a friendship,” Marinette said genuinely. “Well, it really depends on the situation and who it is, but that’s not the point!” She removed her hands from his and for some reason he already missed the feel of them. “Remember, we were just doing what we were asked to do, so now we can put this behind us and m-move on,” she gave him a small smile and sat back.

Somehow, not being able to kiss her again sent a pang of disappointment to shoot through his chest, but he ignored it as he sent her a smile back. “Thanks Marinette,” he replied earnestly.

A small blush appeared across the freckles on her face which he found adorable. Then he internally chastised himself for thinking that way and moved to get up and away from these strange feelings and made his way over to his desk.

Sitting down onto his desk chair, Adrien cleared his suddenly dry throat. “Let’s get started on our essays so we don’t have to worry about doing them over break.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, suddenly appearing next to him. Adrien slightly jumped in his seat and quickly tried to regain his composure. How was she able to sneak up on him? Either that or he was really out of it.

“My tablet is over there on my nightstand, you can use that if you want,” he pointed in the direction behind him then immediately got started on his assignment to get his mind off of her.

Marinette walked over and picked it up then went and settled down onto his couch to begin hers as well. The room was filled with the sound of Adrien’s typing as Marinette pondered how she was going to go about writing this. “If I did learn anything, it was that I fell more in love with him,” she mumbled quietly to herself.

“Did you say something Marinette?” Adrien called as he paused in his typing.

“N-no, nothing!” Marinette stuttered then let out a breath when he resumed in his task.

 

Meanwhile, underneath the safety of their coats and concealed away from any onlookers, two kwami’s gazed at one another in shock.

“Tikki..?” Plagg asked in wonder.

“Fancy meeting you here Plagg,” Tikki giggled at his awestruck face.

Then Plagg let out a laugh quiet enough so no one else could hear but them. “I told him right off the bat when they first met that was his girlfriend but noooo she’s just a _friend_ Plagg,” he chuckled some more then snuggled up close to Tikki.

“Plagg!” Tikki scolded lightly as she nuzzled her nose against his cheek. “You should go back to your hiding spot before we get discovered together!”

“Ehh,” he flicked a paw in the air then settled it around her. “There are worse things. Besides, then they can stop dancing around each other and we can be together again.”

Tikki sighed as she melted against her companion. “As much as I’d love for it to happen, it could also put them in danger knowing who the other is.”

Tightening his hold, Plagg said forlornly, “But I’ve missed you Sweettooth.”

“I’ve missed you too, Cheesehead.”

 

Only an hour had passed since both teens got started on their assignment, but it felt as though several hours had already come and gone. Adrien had just finished his essay, finally able to succumb to the distracting thoughts he’s been having while trying to focus on his writing. He listened as Marinette’s typing filled the otherwise silent room and rubbed hard at his face.

Just, exactly, what was that he had felt earlier? How could he _possibly_ get his Lady mixed up with Marinette? Nothing made sense to him and feeling this way only made chiding himself more prominent for even thinking about someone other than Ladybug. Guilt swirled uncomfortably in his stomach while his heart beat faster at the memory of Marinette’s scent and the feel of her lips as he kissed her. Then going back even further to the beginning of the kiss, where it pulled him into making that rash decision, were her eyes. Had they always been so blue?

As Adrien was having an internal battle with himself, Marinette had called her assignment good enough for now, opting to finish it up later. Currently, she was having a similar debate with herself and kept screwing up on the typing of her words since her mind was a jumbled mess. Hitting save and closing out of her essay, she put the tablet aside and stared blankly out the large windows in Adrien’s room.

Sure, the kiss with Adrien was something she had fantasized in every possible scenario she could ever dream of since she fell in love with him, but nothing could have prepared her for the real deal. It was just as amazing as she thought it would be, until her mind had the strange notion to unconsciously sense a familiarity of those lips and in turn, expect to see green cat eyes surrounded by a black mask when she pulled away. She had been wishing for this moment for the longest time, why suddenly think of her partner?

So lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear Adrien let out a long sigh, then get up out of his chair to walk towards her. Only the dipping of the couch next to her alerted her of his presence where she had effectively choked down an alarmed squeal.

Adrien didn’t seem to even notice, his gaze settled on his clasped hands. “I don’t know about you, but all this work could use a break,” Getting up again and grabbing a couple controllers, he sat back down on the couch next to her and turned the TV on, passing her a controller without glancing in her direction.

Marinette couldn’t fathom why Adrien was being shy and withdrawn around her all of a sudden, but she was determined to get him back to the way he was acting before with all the puns and care-free attitude. So to start, she smirked and poked at his side, causing him to yelp and snap his head around to look at her.

“Whatever this game is, I hope you’re ready to lose,” she boasted with confidence.

Narrowing his eyes, the quiet demeanor he had was gone and quickly replaced by a competitive shift in posture. “What makes you so sure, Princess?”

Already in gaming mode, the nickname slipped her mind and she faced him with hard, self-assurance of her abilities. “I’m a gaming _champion_ , so kicking your butt should be simple,” she replied with absolute smugness.

The mischievous glint was back in his eyes, along with an insufferable grin that could rival Chat Noir. “Well, we’ll see about that! Mario Kart will decide the _true_ champion.”

Channeling her inner Ladybug, Marinette leveled him with a fierce stare. “Bring it on.”

 

Turns out, they were both really good at the game and were neck and neck for nearly all the tracks they did. When one of them won the cup, the other would demand a rematch and they would go at it again, bantering back and forth all the while. A few hours had come and gone, but to Marinette and Adrien, this time it only felt like minutes with their minds completely occupied in beating the other person.

“HA!” Adrien belted out and did a small dance in his seat as he won the latest track and received his golden cup.

“NO! You totally cheated!” Marinette shouted as she roughly shoved his shoulder, nearly causing him to fall of the couch. “You don’t just lick someone’s cheek while their driving!” As she said this, she wiped off the offending wet spot on her now very warm face, more than likely sporting a blush.

“It was totally valid, there are no rules against doing so,” Adrien righted himself and tilted his head up into the air, sniffing disdainfully.

“You’ll pay for that,” Marinette growled, then brightened up with a wicked idea. “Okay how about this…whoever wins on Rainbow Road is deemed the title of the ultimate champion in Mario Kart. Deal?”

 Sticking out her hand, she was immediately met with Adrien’s hand and they firmly shook on it.

“Deal.”

Marinette eagerly chose the track, and the race began. Once again, they were tied throughout the whole track making it a close match, but nearing the end it seemed as though Adrien was going to win. So before Marinette could really think of the consequences, she promptly  turned, swept into his vision, and planted a kiss directly onto his lips then gave him a parting wink as she turned her attention to the TV.

Adrien froze and felt his lungs stop working as his heart skipped several beats. The controller dropped from his slack hands as his character spun out of control on a banana and Marinette’s character raced past him, crossing the finish line and winning the game.

Cheering, Marinette jumped up and did a little dance as she celebrated her victory. She stopped though when she still hadn’t heard anything from Adrien, so she looked at his still unmoving form on the couch, his face now emblazoned in red. Cautiously she approached him, leaning down and regarding him with concern.

“Adrien, are you okay?” she asked reaching out to touch him.

She recoiled when he took in a gasping breath and she nearly laughed in relief when he croaked out in a hoarse voice, “I’m fine!”

Marinette shook her head fondly and crossed her arms over her chest. “You know, you t-totally had that coming.” Even though she scolded him for it, her actions started to catch up to her and she could feel the heat of embarrassment beginning to spread across her cheeks.

Adrien was about to retort when there was a knock on the door. He cleared his throat but it still came out shakily as he called out, “C-come in!”

Nathalie appeared and took in the scene with mild interest. “I’m here to inform you dinner is ready and that if Miss Dupain-Cheng would like to, she can join.”

A smile easily broke out on Adrien’s face then he asked timidly, “Will father be joining us as well..?”

There was a small frown that had appeared replacing the smile as Nathalie answered, “No, Monsieur Agreste will be too busy tonight. I’m sorry Adrien.” With that, she left the room.

He sighed in disappointment, but perked up at the thought of actually eating with someone else at his dinner table.

“Come on, let’s go eat,” Adrien said, as he grabbed Marinette’s hand and walked out of his room with her in tow.

When they entered the dining room, two plates were already set up waiting for them. Adrien then realized he was still holding Marinette’s hand so he released it as if she had burned him and laughed nervously, avoiding her questioning look. As the teens both sat down next to each other, there was an awkward tension between them from prior events but it was soon broken by Marinette knocking her foot against Adrien’s.

He watched her intently with narrowed eyes as she glanced in the other direction humming as she took a mouthful of pasta. After she chewed and swallowed, Marinette hummed again in bliss and tapped the napkin against her lips daintily. “Victory never tasted so sweet,” she cooed, causing Adrien to choke on his water next to her.

She rubbed his back as he coughed, then smiled when he turned his attention to her. “Are you saying that because of the pasta or…?” he rasped.

“Oh no you know exactly what I meant,” she laughed as he spluttered, absolutely flustered by her attitude. It felt so good to be on the other side for once, to observe Adrien being the one to flounder as she acted with her alter-ego’s confidence. However, she doesn’t know where this courage is even coming from and how much longer she can keep this up.

Adrien turned back to his pasta and willed himself to calm down. Whatever has gotten into Marinette is definitely making his brain into a pile of mush and his emotions to go haywire. _Get a grip Agreste!_ He berated himself. Fine, well if she wanted to be that way, it’s time for the cat to come out and play.

Setting down his fork and leaning into her space, he purred, “Would you like to taste more of me?”

Squeaking, Marinette looked at him with wide eyes and turned a vibrant shade of red. _Oh no_ , she thought, and he read it in her expression.

 _Oh yes_ , Adrien reflected, as his grin grew knowing he had her now.

He was just about to make her feel just as embarrassed as he was before when Marinette’s saving grace walked in holding a tablet.

Nathalie cleared her throat and watched on in enjoyment as both teens sat rigid in their seats, both blushing once more.

“I came to inform the both of you that the snow outside has gotten so bad, the weather reports are advising people to stay where they are at until it calms down.” She pressed on a few buttons on her device and glanced back at the two of them. “It’s not supposed to let up until early morning tomorrow, so I took the grace of calling your parents Marinette and letting them know you’re safe here.”

Marinette sighed gratefully and sent her an appreciative look. “Thank you for doing that.”

“This also means,” Nathalie continued, “that you will be sleeping in Adrien’s room since our guest bedrooms are currently being renovated.”

Adrien sucked in a breath and Marinette gaped. “Uhh…what..?” she quietly asked as her brain tried desperately to grasp the situation.

Nathalie still went on as if she hadn’t heard, “I’m sure you two are old enough to know better than to do anything improper,” she smirked as both teens choked and coughed, disbelief painted across their faces. “That is all,” Nathalie finished as she turned on her heel, smugness seeping out of her steps. She knew exactly what she was doing to them and it felt _great_.

Marinette and Adrien quickly inhaled the rest of their meal to stifle their humiliation then hastily returned to Adrien’s bedroom. They both stood there, stumped on what to do next, now that plans have changed.

“Sooo…”Marinette pronounced slowly, “sleeping arrangements…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended on having more Plagg and Tikki interaction in this chapter but, somehow, I hadn't realized how long this story had gotten. *sigh* I'm only now just getting to the part I wanted to write in the first place! *cries* Why am I like this?!  
> On a better note...I hope you all know exactly what's gonna happen in the next chapter ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a little bit of spice to the cookies could you blame me? Gotta mix it up a bit ;)

 “Yeaahhh….about that,” Adrien said as he observed his bed. “You’ll be sleeping on my bed while I take the couch.”

Marinette furrowed her brows as she glanced at him in confusion. “Um…no I won’t."

Turning to her with a displeased look on his face, Adrien replied in more of a stricter tone. “Yes you will.”

“No, I will not,” Marinette argued back, starting to get frustrated.

“Marinette. I will not let my guest, a friend for that matter, sleep on the couch while I lay there cozy in bed. Don’t argue with me on this,” Adrien huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Copying his actions, Marinette faced him and remain unmoved. “I’m not going to sleep in _your_ bed while knowing you have to sleep on a couch in your own room. I said no.”

“ _Yes_ , you _will_.”

 _“No_ , I _won’t_.”

By now, both teenagers were nearly nose to nose as they glared at the other. All the sweet things that happened to them earlier seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving a tense atmosphere. Adrien was the first to notice their proximity, so he pulled away running a hand through his hair in slight agitation.

“Look, Marinette, don’t be so stubborn I only want what’s best for you,” he sounded exasperated.

“Adrien, I get it, but I feel the same way for you too so as your guest and friend, let me decide on what I want to do.” Marinette’s lips pursed as Adrien still didn’t seem to move on the subject.

“Just let me be a good friend, why are you doing this?” he was beginning to raise his voice, trying to get his point across.

“Because it isn’t fair to you!” she shot back.

“Well fine to make it fair, let’s both sleep in my bed together then!” he shouted.

There was a stifling silence as the words rang into the quiet room and sunk into both of their heads. Eyes widening, Adrien blushed at what he said as Marinette’s mouth hung open and she stared at him. It was as if all the tension in the air evaporated into nothing and was replaced with heavy embarrassment.

“I…uh..um,” Adrien stammered, not daring to look at Marinette.

“…okay,” came the quiet reply.

Adrien whipped around so fast to gaze down at her in astonishment, he was afraid he might have pulled something.

Swallowing hard, he whispered, “Are you… _sure_?”

A small smile worked its way onto Marinette’s face with his familiar phrasing, “Absolutely.”

Breathing out a heavy sigh, Adrien nodded his head in acceptance then wandered over to his TV where the game still sat repeating Marinette’s victory.  He switched it off and picked up the remote to begin rifling through the channels. “Want to watch a movie or something?” he muttered quietly, as she walked over and sat in the middle of his couch.

Crossing her legs and leaning back, Marinette relaxed and peered at the options while he mindlessly flicked through them. A particular movie caught her eye, causing her to yell, “stop!” which ended up startling Adrien so much, the remote flew out of his hand and landed smack in the middle of their coats. There was a tiny yelp which erupted from that spot, prompting Adrien and Marinette to look at each other in horror.

“Ahaha, must have been from outside-,”

“I’m pretty sure that was the movie-,”

Both of them spoke at the same time and stopped abruptly, Adrien making coughing noises and Marinette now intensely inspecting her fingernails.

“I’ll just…,” Adrien made vague gesturing signs with his hands then quickly walked over to his bed to retrieve the offending object.

Not bothering to check on his kwami, he swiped the remote with a murmured, “sorry!” and went back to sit down next to Marinette. 

 

Underneath the coats, Plagg rubbed at his head as he silently groaned. “How bad is it Tikki?” he grinded out as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Tikki snorted as quietly as she could and observed the wound. “Looks like your bad luck came into play again.”

“Tikkkiiiii…” Plagg whined as he pawed at the fabric.

“It seems to be growing into a nice sized goose-egg Cheeshead,” she giggled as he groaned a little louder.

“I swear,” Plagg growled, “I’ll get him back for this.”

Tikki made a tsking noise as she playfully batted at his arm. “It was only an accident; the boy seems to go through enough already.”

Sighing, Plagg knew Tikki was right. “How would he like it to have a giant remote knock him in the head,” he grumbled.

Shuffling closer, Tikki left a soft kiss on the sore spot. “There, is that better?” she asked kindly.

Plagg blushed and immediately felt relief. “Yes,” he admitted.

Tikki smiled knowingly and cuddled up once more against her other half.

 

As _Le Bossu de Notre Dame_ played out across the television screen, Marinette and Adrien paid little mind to the moving pictures and thought more about their heated conversation. Guilt continued swirling throughout Adrien’s gut for yelling at Marinette as the girl in question tried really hard to keep her composure together with fantasies running through her head.

Clearing his throat, Adrien still kept his eyes on the movie while Marinette’s attention now became focused on him. “I’m sorry…for earlier. I didn’t mean to push something you didn’t want to do onto you,” he spoke quietly.

Warmth spread throughout Marinette’s chest, the poor girl falling more in love with Adrien and his concern for her feelings as she processed his apology. “It’s alright; I understand what you had in mind. I’m sorry too, for fighting you,” she replied bashfully.

Adrien looked at her then and found her shy behavior endearing. He also felt much better getting that out in the open and clearing the air between them. “So,” he said with a little more cheerfulness, “was there a reason you were so vocal about making me pause on this movie..?”

Pink flared across Marinette’s cheeks as she picked at a loose thread on her sleeve.  “This is one of my childhood favorites and I haven’t seen it in awhile.” She chuckled, “I might have been too loud in my enthusiasm in getting you to stop.”

“That’s okay. It is a really good movie,” Adrien agreed.

Marinette giggled as a thought struck her. “You remind me of Quasimodo.”

Adrien glanced at her and pretended to be offended. “Is that a secret way of telling me my appearance is hideous?” he mockingly teased.

Gasping in alarm, Marinette wildly swung her arms around. “NO! Oh God no!”

A grin broke out on Adrien’s lips. “You don’t have to lie to me Marinette. Just go ahead and say it.”

Slapping a hand to her face, Marinette groaned then dropped both her hands in her lap. “I only say that because of the similarities you both have as a personality and story.”

The grin immediately dropped and Adrien stared at her. “Oh.”

“You see,” Marinette continued, “just like you, Quasimodo is a kind man who loves the people and wants to see the world without them judging him based on appearances. He is also loyal to those he cares about and protects them when the need arises. Like saving Esmeralda, because she’s his friend and he loves her. Plus, he knows what it’s like to be without a mother and grow up in a big place with a father who ignores him most of the time.” All of this jumbled out of Marinette while Adrien looked completely gobsmacked. “Not that your father is a villain or anything,” she quickly amended and laughed it off.

(In his office, Gabriel sneezed twice. “Damn allergies,” he sniffed.)

Completely touched, Adrien had the most genuine smile on his face while his eyes became a little misty. “Marinette…,” he said softly, moved by her words. She noticed that about him?

Shrugging her shoulders, Marinette looked down at her hands. “That’s what I observed anyway.”

After blinking away unshed tears, Adrien shifted closer to Marinette. “Well that was a wonderful analysis, thanks for sharing it with me.” He scratched the back of his neck as he pondered something himself. “Actually, come to think of it, you remind me a lot of Esmeralda.”

Marinette’s head shot up and she gazed at him in curiosity. “Really?”

“Well yeah, she is good at being independent and is a very caring person,” he commented truthfully. “Standing up for what’s right, helping those in need, seeing things in others most people often overlook. Not to mention, she’s extremely pretty,” at that Marinette squeaked and Adrien laughed at her reaction. “I’m being honest! But yeah, I see all of that about her in you too.”

Suddenly, Adrien was tackled into a bone crushing hug. “That was really sweet Adrien,” Marinette mumbled through his shirt as he returned the hug in a tight squeeze.

They sat together like that, holding the other in their arms until the movie ended and another started up. Marinette’s eyes were barely staying open as she fought to stay awake after the end of the credits rolled for the second movie. She was just so comfortable in Adrien’s embrace, it felt so nice. But all good things had to come to an end eventually when Adrien nudged her awake and smiled at her apologetically as she squinted sleepy eyes at him.

“Come on, let’s get you in some pajamas and head to bed,” he whispered and got up, gently tugging her up with him.

She only hummed in response, following him to his closet in a haze. He pulled out a pair of black and dark green flannel pants and a light green shirt with a black pawprint in the middle then handed it to her.

Marinette took it from him, amusement breaking through her sleepy daze. Adrien caught her look and increasingly became more sheepish as he found a pair of soft red pajama pants adorned with black spots and a red shirt that he clutched to his chest.

Raising an eyebrow, Marinette couldn’t help but to tease him. “Ladybug and Chat Noir fan huh?”

Pouting, Adrien walked past her and over to the side of his bed. “I think they’re cool. Don’t judge me.”

“Pfff…too late for that,” Marinette snorted as she made her way to the bathroom to change.

 Once she was done, she peaked out the door to see Adrien had already finished changing and was setting their coats on the couch. Shuffling over to the bed, she pulled back the covers on one side and nearly collapsed onto it, too tired to overthink and freak out about being in his bed. She glanced up and had to quickly cover her mouth to muffle the burst of laughter from the sight of Adrien’s shirt.

Adrien sighed and gave her a tired look, already accepting the criticism. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

Marinette pulled her hand away and bit her lip in mirth as she examined the front. It read in bold black letters, _Ladybug by day, bedbug by night_ with a winking face at the end. “Where did you get that one?” she asked, barely suppressing her giggles.

Plopping down beside her, Adrien got underneath the covers and pulled them up to his mouth, murmuring something into the fabric while he stared resolutely at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Marinette took pleasure in seeing the half of his face she saw turn redder.

He pulled back the blanket and mumbled, “Its custom made and it’s my favorite shirt.”

“Awww…is that so?” Marinette cooed as she snuggled deeper into the lush bed.

“I came up with it myself,” he stated proudly.

“You dork,” Marinette replied tenderly, feeling the beginnings of slumber start to pull her in so she closed her eyes.

Turning to her after a moment of silence, Adrien noticed the peaceful look on her face and saw her breathing start to even out. He watched her with a fondness he wasn’t quite aware of yet while releasing a sincere smile. “Good night Marinette,” Adrien whispered softly, fighting back the urge to tuck a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

Drifting further into unconsciousness, Marinette responded with a half-hearted hum then she inhaled the smell of freshly washed sheets along with Adrien’s scent, letting out a small sigh of content. A dreamless sleep was quick to claim her after that.

For Adrien, he wasn’t so lucky; having conflicting emotions about why he’s beginning to feel more attraction towards Marinette when he already had his love for Ladybug. Laying on his side and facing Marinette, he tried to match his breathing with hers, then closed his eyes and eventually fell into a dream.

 

_Smoke permeated the air in the deserted street, making it hard to breathe as Adrien stumbled down the cobblestone in his superhero suit. The continued sounds of bawling and agonized wailing could be heard all around him, as he blindly searched for something. Up ahead, he noticed Notre Dame standing tall against the red skyline from the fires that raged on throughout Paris._

_Suddenly, a cry tore through the eerie silence, and it turned his blood to ice._

_“Chat!”_

_He knew that voice. The lovely sound of her voice he always heard in his thoughts now laced with fear._

_Breaking into a run, Adrien tried calling out to her, but it was as though his lips were sealed shut. His mind was a mess, struggling to comprehend what was going on but ultimately failing and only worried about one particular goal._

_Protecting her._

_Somehow, he found himself in front of the cathedral, which loomed before him in a sense of impending doom with the sight before it. There was a girl with dark hair who was tied to a stake at the bottom of the steps, tears streaking down her masked face._

_It was his Lady._

_His heart nearly stopped at the sight of her while piecing together what this meant._

_A man in a purple black robe, whose appearance seemed similar to his father, walked up to her and caressed an earring while wearing a manic smile._

_“No!” Adrien yelled, attempting to get to the two of them but was jerked back by something heavy._

_Metal chains wrapped around his hands and feet, hindering him from getting any closer. Gritting his teeth, he struggled against the binds to no avail. Calling upon cataclysm, Adrien went to touch the chain but saw only a bare hand instead._

_A dark chuckle reached his ears, causing a shiver to wrack itself down his spine. Looking up, he watched the man twirl a silver ring on his finger and turned his icy blue gaze onto him._

_“Adrien, didn’t I raise you better than this?”_

_Dread filled Adrien’s entire being as the man cackled and faced his Lady once more._

_“Now I shall have my one wish come true,” he said with glee as he ripped the earrings from her ears._

_Swirling pink light released from around her, dissolving the suit and leaving behind…_

_“Marinette?!” he shouted in alarm._

 

Marinette groggily awoke to the tossing and turning of someone in her bed. Wiping her eyes to wake up more and eventually see who the intruder was, she was soon kicked in the shin from the culprit. Not hard luckily, but this still caused her to snap them open in surprise and annoyance. However, she bit back a sharp retort when she caught sight of Adrien.

This brought to mind the memory of her sleeping over in his bed which helped her to relax. But her relief was cut short from seeing Adrien’s sleeping state. It seemed like he was in pain with the way his eyebrows scrunched together while he wordlessly mouthed something. The covers were kicked off from his body showing his entire posture being ramrod straight, limbs spread out, and fists clenching the bed sheets so hard his knuckles were white.

“Adrien..?” Marinette questioned with worry.

 

_Falling to his knees, Adrien stared at his friend and love as now one person, everything ripping apart inside him from the shock and the newfound information._

_He was about to lose his whole world._

_After pinning the earrings to his suit, the man then slipped the ring completely onto his finger. A heavy sigh left his lips, making it seem as though he finally found the treasure he’s been looking for all his life. Then he looked at the devastation on Adrien’s face and laughed once more._

_“To ensure you two don’t get in my way again, it’s time to get rid of the both of you. Starting with her,” he scorned, then grabbed a nearby torch and set the stake ablaze._

_Marinette cried out as the flames licked her skin._

_This time Adrien screamed._

“MARINETTE!”

 

To say the girl was surprised was an understatement. As soon as she heard her name split out of Adrien’s mouth like that in pure agony, she very nearly jumped out of her skin. It also didn’t help that it came with no warning, piercing the quietness of the room. Gathering her bearings, she blinked hard a couple times and took some calming breaths then touched Adrien who was now openly crying. His eyes were still tightly shut, but tears streamed down his face and dampened the pillow his head rested on.

“Adrien,” Marinette said more firmly this time, gently rocking his arm.

His only response was to whimper and continue laying there, his breathing now coming in small gasps.

“Wake up Adrien,” Marinette tried a little louder and moved closer to him.

A broken whine escaped when she tugged on his arm with more force, resulting in him shifting towards her and curling in on himself.

Marinette sighed. There was only one way to get him out of what is definitely a nightmare.

Sitting up, Marinette prepared herself then pounced on him.

“ADRIEN.”

This caused his eyes to fly open and his whole body to jerk to attention, his breathing now rapid. When his sight focused on Marinette, his face crumpled as more tears gathered in his eyes.

“My Lady,” he sobbed.

Once again Marinette was shocked to her core but for an entirely different reason. There was _no way_ this was happening. It was just a coincidence. Anyone could say those words; it didn’t have to be a specific person who called her that. But after everything that has happened today…

Could he really be…?

“Chaton?” she breathed the question.

He yanked her down onto his chest and tightly wrapped both arms around her. She felt his whole body trembling as he continued to cry into her hair. 

“I thought I l-lost you,” his voice wobbled as she got hit with the familiar phrasing.

Pushing aside the world tilting revelation freak out for later, Marinette snuggled closer against him and clung to his sides. “I’m right here _mon minou_ ,” she whispered in reassurance as he finally began to calm down. “It was only a dream, I’m okay.”

Adrien drew in a few deep breaths and let each of them out slowly, coming down from his fright. She was here in his arms, unharmed and alive. It was all going to be okay. Exhaustion started taking over him then, luring him back to sleep.

For awhile, Marinette made sure to stay awake until she knew he was going to be fine and no more bad dreams were coming to haunt him. It also didn’t hurt to continue lying in his arms; it probably did the both of them good anyway. Marinette pressed her cheek further into his chest and listened to the now steady beat of his heart as she was lulled into a peaceful slumber once again.    

 

“…-rien.”

Something between a hum and a moan left Adrien’s lips. Whatever warmth this was surrounding him felt really nice.

“Psst, hey kid.”

There was a slight nudge on his forehead.

Adrien reacted by tightening his hold on a familiar soft mass weighing down against his chest and burying his nose in its hair.

Cookies.

He sighed in pure bliss.

“Adrien if you don’t wake up soon I’m going to bug your girlfriend next.”

Frowning, Adrien continued to ignore the annoying voice, silently willing it to go away.

“Ha, get it, _bug_ her? Well actually that makes more sense for Tikki-,”

Batting blindly at where the voice was, his hand came in contact with something furry and solid.

“Oy! Don’t get rough with me! Where’s my cheese, boy?!” The voice demanded.

“Plaaaag,” Adrien hoarsely ground out, irritated.

“So he does speak,” Plagg mused, settling atop Adrien’s head.

It was quiet for a few moments until the mass in his arms began to stir and make sweet sounds, inevitably waking up from the noise and movement. Adrien’s eyes slowly cracked open, adjusting to the morning light in his room, only to then peer down at messy bluish black hair. He didn’t have a chance to think much about the sight when he saw Marinette shift and lift up her head to blink weary blue eyes at him.

They both stared at the other, Adrien starting to become increasingly flustered with the adorable sight before him, while Marinette smiled and relished in waking up to an equally endearing view. Folding her hands over his chest and propping her chin on them, she observed Adrien then purposely looked on top of his head to find Plagg curiously peering back at her.

Adrien watched as her eyes moved to glance at the kwami on his head, making his entire body tense up. Nobody is supposed to know his identity. She couldn’t know he was Chat Noir; it was too dangerous for her. Maybe he could make up an excuse and tell her he adopted a kitten recently. Yeah, he could go with that.

Except, how come she wasn’t reacting?

“Hello Chat Noir,” Marinette called out softly.

His eyes slightly widening, all Adrien could do was focus on not freaking out.

How does one breathe again?

Marinette giggled as she watched her partner attempt to keep it together.

“Do you not remember what happened during the night?” she asked.

Adrien didn’t know what she was talking about; his memory of the night came back to him only in bits and pieces. The color red, evil laughter, burning fire, screams, a soothing voice, and then comfort was all he could recall. Still too stunned to speak however, he only shook his head in confusion.

She leaned in a little, whispering, “You had a nightmare. Then woke up and called me _my Lady_ , _Chaton_ ,” then she winked and went back to lay her chin on her hands.

All the pieces of the puzzle from yesterday quickly came together after her statement and confirmed what he had been questioning the whole time. His breath hitched as he looked at her, really _looked_ , and saw Ladybug without a mask grinning up at him.

Marinette continued to watch him as he figured it out and felt his heartbeat accelerate underneath her palms.

“Breathe kitty,” she soothed, feeling herself rise a moment later as he heaved in a deep breath.

“How-,” his voice squeaked, so he coughed to clear it. “How are you so calm about this?!”

Closing her eyes and setting her cheek to rest against the back of her hand, she yawned. “I’m too sleepy. I’ll panic later,” she mumbled.

Adrien let out a surprised and joyful laugh as a result, coming to terms with the situation and hardly believing his luck. The girl he was quickly falling for turned out to be the girl he loved. Who was also currently in bed with him, resting her body against his like she had always belonged there. All of his wishes were coming true and he couldn’t be happier.

He was so delighted he could almost purr.

However, not too soon after, a red colored kwami decided to join them.

“Hey Sweettooth,” Plagg called out, still settled among Adrien’s bed hair. “Did you see this sickening love story happen from where you were?” Plagg then made a gagging sound. “I thought I was going to puke up what was left of my cheese.”

“Plagg, don’t act like you’re not ecstatic to finally see these two together,” Tikki said in a smug tone. It caused Plagg to dramatically gasp in betrayal, as Adrien quirked an eyebrow and chuckled.

“Is that so…,” Adrien drawled up to a sputtering Plagg, then looked over at Tikki who sat on Marinette’s back. “We just met but I think we’re going to be good friends.”

“I know we will,” chirped Tikki in agreement.

Plagg made a sound of disagreement. “Ohhh no you don’t. You two together would be a disaster and coming from the god of destruction himself, that’s saying something.”

Adrien laughed full heartedly then returned his attention back on the ever quiet lady of his. Nuzzling his nose in her hair with deep affection bubbling inside him, his action caused Marinette to make a noise of protest.

“Wake up Buginette!” Adrien whispered excitedly and watched as she stirred to settle more comfortably against him.

“Hmm…,” he hummed in thought, and then got a terrible idea that would probably end up in him getting hurt.   

“If you don’t get up soon, I’m going to have to resort to tickling you,” he grinned.

Marinette grew still then growled out in a scary voice, “Don’t you dare Adrien.”

In an instant, Tikki and Plagg flew up and out of the way at the same time Adrien managed to flip Marinette onto her back to start tickling her mercilessly. Marinette squealed and squirmed underneath him, but he was relentless. With a good hard shove, she managed to get him off her so she could get up and send him a death glare.

“Now you’re going to get it _Chaton_ ,” Marinette ground out and lunged for him.

He easily maneuvered out of the way, all the while holding the biggest, happiest smile on his face. Full of giddiness, he jumped off the bed and ran towards his windows, easily pushing one open. Looking back behind him, he watched in nervous anticipation as she gradually stalked towards him.

“Ah, but you’ll have to _cat_ -ch me first, _Purr_ incess,” he winked then called upon his transformation and dashed out onto a nearby roof.

Marinette laughed menacingly to no one but her kwami. “Oh, I will,” then called her transformation and flew out the window.

 

Chat Noir crept silently among the snowy rooftops, putting all his focus on using his eyes and ears to pick up even the faintest signs of danger coming his way.

The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon, bringing back a wave of déjà vu from the morning before. He quietly inhaled a breath full of cold air to calm himself, but it did little to quell the rush of adrenaline flowing inside him. Then, with no warning, he was flung onto his back and he looked up startled to see the intense blue gaze of Ladybug.

“Caught you,” she said lowly while sporting an intimidating smirk.

He gulped audibly.

Leaning towards him, ever so slowly, Ladybug stared straight in those bright green cat eyes of his, as her lips became closer. With one hand on his torso, she could feel his heart racing as fast as hers, but she ignored it, now only a hairs width away from touching her lips to his.

“Think of this as payback _mon_ _Minou,_ ” she breathed, then kissed the tip of his nose.

Pulling back, she watched in amusement as he grabbed his burning face with both hands and groaned. They stayed that way for a few minutes, Ladybug becoming entranced with the rise and fall of his chest as Chat tried and failed miserably at getting himself put back together. Then he sat up finally and looked to her with a full blown pout.

“You tease,” he whined.

Scooting closer to him, Ladybug took a clawed hand in hers and rested against his warm shoulder.

“What did you want for Christmas again _Chaton_?” she asked, momentarily confusing him with the unexpected question.

He thought for a moment, and then let out a nervous laugh as he remembered his answer. “You,” he said softly.

“Then consider me an early gift,” she turned and to seal the deal, gently grabbing the side of his face to capture his lips between hers. A sense of warmth spread throughout the both of them, making them experience feeling complete and at peace. He moaned in her mouth when she sucked on his bottom lip, then she pulled away to look fondly at him, the both of them supporting matching blushes.

“Just as I thought, my Lady,” Chat murmured appreciatively, gazing at her with love in his eyes.

“You’re sweeter than cookies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extended:  
> "Well," Chat Noir contemplated, "you're also a spicy cookie when angry. Very hot."  
> Ladybug rolled her eyes fondly then brought their lips back into a searing kiss.  
> A few blocks down, Nathalie watched them through a set of binoculars. "Teenagers," she sighed, then set the tool down onto Adrien's windowsill. Wearing a satisfied smirk, she pulled out her tablet and updated her Twitter status.  
> *My ship finally sailed!!*
> 
> Whelp, there ya have it! I'm sorry to keep anyone waiting for this story to finish (life got crazy) but here it is! Keithmebabyonemoretime, I hope you enjoyed reading your Christmas gift, it was fun to write!
> 
> -If anyone couldn't tell, Le Bossu de Notre Dame is The Hunchback of Notre Dame which is what Adrien's nightmare is based off of (also it's one of my favorite movies!)


End file.
